Wolfpack starts on right on target

N.C. State's T.J. Warren splits between Miami (Ohio)'s Jon Harris (35) and Will Felder (33) during the first half of Friday night's game.

The Associated Press

By Andrew Wilson / Times-News correspondent

Published: Saturday, November 10, 2012 at 01:13 AM.

RALEIGH — The target is clear on the backs of the sixth-ranked North Carolina State men’s basketball team even as the Wolfpack dominated Miami of Ohio in Friday night’s opener, winning 97-59.

“There’s definitely a target on our backs,” junior guard Lorenzo Brown said. “There’s always going to be a target. It’s a great feeling to have, but Coach (Mark) Gottfried tells us every day that now they we’re up there, it’s time to play each and every game because teams are going to come after us hard.”

The tone was set early on by the upperclassmen who led the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Junior C.J. Leslie opened the game with a bang, recording a steal, a slam-dunk, and a blocked shot, which was followed by a basket from senior guard Scott Wood that brought the sold-out PNC Arena crowd to its feet.

“The players were really zoned in,” Gottfried said. “The first four or five minutes of the game, it really showed. We had a lot of energy and excitement.”

After the RedHawks pulled within nine at 29-20 with 8:32 to go in the first half, N.C. State pulled away with a 12-2 run to end the half.

“We got the looks, but we had to shoot extremely well in order to be in this game,” RedHawks coach John Cooper said. “We needed to have great possessions on both ends. When (N.C. State) made a run before halftime, we lost that opportunity.”

The second half turned to more of the highly heralded youth Gottfried brought in with his first full recruiting class. The McDonald’s All-American trio of Rodney Purvis, T.J. Warren and Tyler Lewis combined for six points in the first half. The second half, it was a different story, as the three combined for 24 of the team’s 56 points.

RALEIGH — The target is clear on the backs of the sixth-ranked North Carolina State men’s basketball team even as the Wolfpack dominated Miami of Ohio in Friday night’s opener, winning 97-59.

“There’s definitely a target on our backs,” junior guard Lorenzo Brown said. “There’s always going to be a target. It’s a great feeling to have, but Coach (Mark) Gottfried tells us every day that now they we’re up there, it’s time to play each and every game because teams are going to come after us hard.”

The tone was set early on by the upperclassmen who led the Wolfpack to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament. Junior C.J. Leslie opened the game with a bang, recording a steal, a slam-dunk, and a blocked shot, which was followed by a basket from senior guard Scott Wood that brought the sold-out PNC Arena crowd to its feet.

“The players were really zoned in,” Gottfried said. “The first four or five minutes of the game, it really showed. We had a lot of energy and excitement.”

After the RedHawks pulled within nine at 29-20 with 8:32 to go in the first half, N.C. State pulled away with a 12-2 run to end the half.

“We got the looks, but we had to shoot extremely well in order to be in this game,” RedHawks coach John Cooper said. “We needed to have great possessions on both ends. When (N.C. State) made a run before halftime, we lost that opportunity.”

The second half turned to more of the highly heralded youth Gottfried brought in with his first full recruiting class. The McDonald’s All-American trio of Rodney Purvis, T.J. Warren and Tyler Lewis combined for six points in the first half. The second half, it was a different story, as the three combined for 24 of the team’s 56 points.

“The three freshmen, they all did some nice things,” Gottfried said.

Purvis, along with senior Richard Howell, scored a team-high 16 points. Purvis converted on a four-point play late in the second half that finished his scoring.

Lewis, who arguably had the flashiest performance of the night, brought the crowd to its feet multiple times, most notably with his back-to-back contested layups near the eight-minute mark of the second half, then again with a behind the back pass to Warren two minutes later.

“I think I showed the fans what I can do,” Lewis said. “I just had to play my game and get the nervousness out of me and be happy out there.”

Overall, Gottfried was happy with the freshmen’s performance.

“When the popcorn is popping and the lights are on and there are people in the stands, it’s a little different feeling,” Gottfried said. “I liked the fact that those three young players kept right in and played with confidence and played hard. It’s not always going to be rosy roads, but I think overall, those three guys played well.”

The 38-point margin for the Wolfpack is the eighth-largest for a season opener in program history. Gottfried credited a lot of that to the defense.

“This team is going to find ways to score,” he said. “We have to be committed to becoming a great defensive team and I think (in this game), for the most part, we had some stretches in there where we were very good defensively.”